30 Minutes Or Less

If you know the real story, you might find it hard to believe this is a comedy.

Even if you don't know the real story, you might find it hard to believe this is a comedy.

Jesse Eisenberg stars as Nick - a pizza delivery guy in Grand Rapids, MI whose life is about to be upended and changed forever. Dwayne (Danny McBride) is a blowhard, delusional loser who wants to hire a hitman to kill his father, so the bum can inherit Dad's wealth. To get the money to pay the hitman, Dwayne and his buddy, Travis (Nick Swardson), decide they will kidnap Nick, strap a bomb on him, and force the kid to rob a bank, or else he will be blown up (kind of complicated when you can just rob the bank yourself, or poison the father to kill him, but let's not let logic get in the way).

Will Nick be able to do it?

Even without the baggage of real life tragedy weighing it down, 30 Minutes Or Less is a mediocre comedy at best. Director Ruben Fleischer delivers an uneven tone that never gets funny enough or dramatic enough or heartwrenching enough when he tries to get the audience to feel anyone of those. Maybe the movie would have worked if it was completely a comedy or completely a drama, but it fails when walking a line between the two.

The studio and everyone involved with 30 Minutes Or Less claim no one was aware of the true story, but the movie is so empty of originality, it's hard to believe they could have come up with this scenario without some help. The audience gets the expected car chases, bank robbery scenes and even one of the main characters trying to pour out his soul to the love of his life before it is too late. If it wasn't for the great cast, you would be watching this movie for 30 minutes or less.

Aziz Ansari is the funniest guy in the movie with his hyper delivery that has you laughing at every reaction and comeback. Frankly, instead of playing the best friend who decides to help Nick, Ansari should have been given the lead.

Eisenberg is a very talented actor, but 30 Minutes Or Less feels like a throw away for him as he doesn't have many challenges, and doesn't do anything all that amazing (but doesn't do anything all that horrible either). Meanwhile, McBride plays the same character we have seen before (borderline moron who suffers from delusions of grandeur). He's funny at times, but it's a bit too much.

30 Minutes Or Less has a quick pace with no wasted time or scenes, but it never goes beyond the obvious.

30 Minutes or Less is rated R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, nudity and some violence.